Door operating and locking mechanism



7, 1954 B. J. HQPPE NJANS 2,686,577

DOOR OPERATING AND LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 1, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 n5 J /08 ggg m m /8 37/45 L Lg, //2

Ti .6 as i0 xi H54 Fig.9

, INVENTOR. AME/WWO J l/OPPE/VdflNS 1954 t B. J. HOPPENJANS 2,686,577

DOOR OPERATING AND LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 1, 1952 3 Shets-Sheet 2 g- 1954 B. J. HOPPENJANS DOOR OPERATING AND LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 1, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. BER/VHZD 0/. HOPPE/Vc/APMS Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR OPERATING AND LOCKIN MECHANISM 13 Claims. 1

This invention relates to door operating and locking mechanism, especially to mechanism for operating and locking doors of the so-called sliding type and has for an object the provision of a combined power and manually operable mechanism, in which elements of the power operable mechanism cooperate with the manually operable mechanism to lock and unlock the doors.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combined power and manually operable door operating and locking mechanism, which shall include an element operable from a remote point and positioned to engage a locking bolt of the manually operable mechanism and hold it selectively in locked or unlocked position.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a combined power and manually operable door operating and locking mechanism which shall be particularly applicable to prison doors and which shall provide means whereby the doors may be opened and closed and locked in open and closed position from a remote point.

Another object of my invention i to provide a combined power and manually operable door operating and locking mechanism which shall include a manually operable locking bolt which is biased by gravity responsive means toward unlocked position, but in which the biasing means is overcome by the weight of a power operated locking bolt and the manually operable locking bolt is thereby moved to locking position and is so held when the door is in closed position.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a combined power and manually operable door operating and locking means for prison doors, which shall be simple and sturdy of design, reliable in operation, and one which is comparatively tamperproof by the prison inmates.

Briefly my invention comprises door operating and locking mechanism which is particularly applicable to sliding prison doors though not necessarily limited thereto. The doors are each held in locked position by two looking bolts one of which is a vertically movable bolt mounted in th door and biased toward raised or unlocked position by lever and counterweight means. The other locking bolt is vertically movable and is mounted over the door, as in the door frame, and is positioned to move downwardly by gravity into engagement with the first mentioned bolt to overcome the lever and counterweight means and force the first mentioned bolt into locking position when the door is in closed position.

The second mentioned bolt moves to its lower position by gravity and iS-raised by an. electric solenoid operable from a point remote from the door. An electric motor operable responsive to raising the second mentioned bolt is operatively connected to the door to open and close it.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. l is a sectional plan View taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic front elevation showing a plurality of doors having my improved operating and locking mechanism applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of a single door with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a detail rear elevation with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken generally along the line VIVI of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken along the line VII--VII of Fig. 2 and drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan View showing the clutch operating bracket, drawn to an enlarged scale;

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional View with parts broken away showing the engagement of the locking bolt with its keeper at the bottom of the door;

Fig. 10 is a sectional View taken along the line X-X of Fig. 9; and,

Fig. 11 is a wiring diagram.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of my invention, I show at Fig. 2 a plurality of doors l0, ll and I2 each of which is mounted in front of a frame comprising vertical members it and M and a transverse member it. See Figs. band '7. The vertical 1nembers l3 and H3, in prison construction, are preferably imbedded at their lower ends in a concrete floor Ila Each of the doors illustrated is a conventional, barred prison door. Each of the doors has secured to the bottom thereof a channel 43 which fits slidingly over a guide bar it secured to the side it of the door frame. The channel l8 extends laterally beyond the door to prevent outward swinging thereof.

A bar 2| is secured across the top of the door and is in turn secured'to a door hanger 22 in the form of an angle bar on which are mounted grooved wheels 23 and 25, adapted to roll one track 28- inopening and closing the door. The track 23 is mounted on a plate 2? extending over and supported by the door frame.

Mounted on the plate. 21 and extending. across the door is a .Z-bar 28 in which is journalled a pair of sprockets 29 and 3!, one toward each side of the door. A sprocket chain 32 connects the two sprockets 29 and 3!. Idler sprockets 33 and 34 mounted on a bracket 35 secured to the Z-bar 28 may be interposed between the sprockets 29 and 3! to aid in supporting the chain 32.

Secured to the door hanger 22 and extending upwardly therefrom is a bracket 36. An operating arm 3'! is pivotally connected to th bracket 36 at 38 and is pivotally connected to a block 39 by a pin 42 which in turn is secured to a link of the chain by any suitable means. The sprocket 3i heretofore described, is fixedly mounted on a shaft 43 which extends through the Z-bar 28 and through bearings 54 secured to the Z-bar by means of bolts 46. The shaft 43 is driven by a motor 47 through a suitable gear reduction train indicated at it, a small sprocket 49, chain 58 and a larger sprocket i loosely mounted on the shaft 53. The motor 4'! is supported on a plate 65 mounted on a door frame plate 21a. A friction clutch 52, on the shaft 43 and turning therewith is adapted, as hereinafter described, to engage the sprocket 5! with the clutch 52 and thus drive the sprocket 3i and effect opening and closing of the door.

The motor 1 is controlled by an electric circuit, indicated by the numeral 54, with a switch 56 for closing and opening the circuit. The switch 56 is operated by means of an electric solenoid 57 which is supported at 5511 from the upper horizontal flange 55 of the Z-bar 28. The core 58 of the solenoid has operatively connected thereto a movable arm 56 which carries one of the contacts of the switch 56.

The solenoid 51 is energized by means of an electric circuit indicated generally at 6| with a source of electrical energy at 62. A switch 53, preferably of the push-button type, and located at a remote point from the solenoid, serves to close the circuit 6i, and energizes, the circuit. Preferably, the switch 63 is of that type which, when closed, remains closed for a limited period of time whereby to energiz the motor 4? and start the door toward open or closed position as the case may be.

Suspended from the core 58 of the solenoid is an upper locking bolt 64, the same being pivotally connected to the core 58 by a pin and clevis connection 65. As will be seen in Fig. 6, the bolt 64 is laterally disposed with respect to the core 58, being connected thereto through an arm 66 with a small counterweight 67 to balance the weight of the bolt. In its vertical movement, the bolt 64 travels in guides 68 formed in the vertical web of the Z-bar 28 and in an opening 69 in the plate 2'! and 2M. When the door is in closed position, as shown in Fig. 6, the bolt 5 passes down through the opening 69 and an opening ii in the bar 2!, plate 22, and top of the door to hold the door locked. A similar recess 12 is provided in the top of the door and which is positioned to receive the bolt 64 when the door is in open position, thereby to hold the door locked in open position.

Mounted in each of the doors is a vertically extending locking bolt 13 which extends substantially the length of the door and which is adapted, when the door is in closed, locked position, to be received in a recess 14 formed in the guide bar [9 at the side of the door. As shown in Figs. 6 and 3, the locking bolt 13 is disposed directly under the upper locking bolt 64, when the door is in closed position whereby the upper lockin 4 bolt 64 cooperates to hold the bolt 73 in locked position. The upper end of the locking bolt #3 terminates in the opening H heretofore described.

Near the upper end of the locking bolt 13 it is connected to a counterbalance lever 19. The counterbalance lever 16 is pivotally connected to the door at ill and to the locking bolt IE3 at 2. Th lever is extends substantially mid-way of the door and at its other end is connected to a second counterbalance lever 83 which is pivotally connected to the door at 34. The connection between the levers S3 and 1'9 is a pin and slot connection 36 which permits the ends of the bars to move relative to each other as they oscillate about their respective pivots. The outer end of the lever 83 is pivotaliy connected at 5? to a plunger 83 which extends upwardly into the recess 52 in the top of the door and is adapted to cooperate with the upper lock bolt fi l when the door is in open position to hold the door locked in open position.

The locking bolt 73 is adapted for opening and closing manually by means of a lift lock H5 having a tumbler ll fitting into a recess E8 in a lift bar '55 which i connected to the lever 19 at 85, near its connection to the bolt '5 When the tumbler fl is turned upwards by a. suitable key, the bar 13 is raised to unlocked position. When the tumbler is turned downward the bolt l3 is moved downwardly to locked position. When the tumbler is in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, the bolt 53 may be raised and lowered mechanically or by other means to be described.

A counterweight 85 on the lever 83 intermediate its pivot and the connection 88, biases the inner end of the lever 63 downwardly and with it the inner end of the lever is thereby to raise the bolt '13 to unlocked position. The bolt :3 is thus, at all times, biased toward unlocked position, except when the door is in its closed position. In addition to being held in locked position by the bolts E i and "E3, the door, when in closed position, is received behind the flange 3*! of an angle bar 92 which extends alongside the door from top to bottom, having its lower end imbedded in the floor and its upper end secured to the door frame.

Slidingly mounted over the doors H], H and I2 is an emergency locking bar 95 which is guided in its movements by guide ways provided in vertical flanges 57 on the brackets 35 which support the idler sprockets 33 and 34. The bar 96 may be shifted by means of a lever indicated diagrammatically at 69 in Fig. 2 which, as is well understood, would be located at a remote point in charge of an attendant. A bracket iii! is seecured to the bar 65 adjacent the locking bolt 64. An opening 182 in the bracket surrounds the arm 66 of the looking bolt 6d. When the bar 95 is in neutral position, as shown in Fig. 4, the opening H32 is so positioned with respect to the arm 66 that sufficient vertical movement of the locking bolt 64 is permitted to allow it to be raised out of either of the recesses H or '72 in the door. When the bar 96 has been moved to its extreme position to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, the arm 63 is received in a recess 63 which holds the locking bolt 6 down in a deadlock position. If the arm 66 happens to be in its upper position when the bar 93 is moved to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4 a cam surface i6 3, downwardly inclined, engages the arm 66 and forces it downwardly with the bolt 64 into the recess. When the bar 96 is moved toward the right, from the position shown in Fig. 4, the pin 66 is engaged by an upwardly inclined cam surface I06 and forced upwardly. At the upper end of the opening M32 is a recess I01 which receives the pin 66 and which holds the arm 66 and bolt a l in raised, or unlocked position. In this position of the emergency bar 96, the locking bolt 13 may be locked and unlocked with a suitable key in the lift lock 76. I

Also secured to the locking arm 96, beneath the clutch 52 is a bracket W8 having an elongated cam slot its therein which receives an operating" arm ill for the clutch 52. When the bar 96 is moved to the left from the position shown in Figs.

8 and 4, toward the position in which the locking bolt fi l engages the upper end of the locking bolt I3 to hold the door in deadlock position, the arm Hi passes through a straight portion H3 or the bracket H58 and the clutch 52 is not afiected. When the emergency bar 96 is moved to the right from the position shown in Figs. 8 and 4 to raise the locking bolt 64, the arm H l engages a laterally inclined portion H5 of the slot me to shift the operating arm H I and release the clutch 52. Thus when the mechanically operated features of the apparatus are disconnected by the locking bar Q6, and the door is opened and closed manually and locked by means ofthe lock 15, the clutch 52 is released. It is contemplated that the first described extreme position of the bar 96 in which the locking bolts i i and 73 are held in deadlock position will be employed during periods when all the doors are to be locked for a period of time and also during periods when electric power manual operation of the locking bar 96 all doors can be released and disengaged from the power operative means. When in one extreme position of the bar 96 the lock bars of all doors under its control are released and the doors can then be opened manually. When in the other extreme position all the lock bolts are held in deadlock position and no one of the doors may be so opened.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved door operating and locking mechanism will be readily understood. Assuming the locking bar 9% in neutral position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and that the door to be opened is in closed, locked position, with the locking bolt '53 in the recess 14. The switch 63 is closed which energizes the solenoid 57, causing the core 58 to rise, carrying with it the locking bolt 65:- and closing the switch to the motor 41. In this position of the emergency bar 9c, the clutch 52 is engaged causing rotation of the driving sprocket 5i and the sprockets 3! and 23. The connection of the arm 3? on the door to the chain 32, causes the door to move toward open position. As soon as the switch 53 is opened, the locking bolt it drops down by gravity onto the horizontal flange of the door hanger 22 on top of the door. Preferably, a ball Ht is placed in the lower end of the bolt it'll to reduce friction between it and thehanger 22 as the latter moves beneath it. When the door reaches its open position, the locking bolt 6 drops by gravity into the recess 32 in the upper end of the door, thus locking the doorin open position and opening switch 56--59 (Fig. 11) to break the motor circuit.

When it is desired to close the door again, the switch 63 is again closed, which raises the core 58 and locking bolt 64, to clear the recess '12 and again closes the motor switch 56. The rotation of the motor again drives the chain 32 which causes the door to be moved toward closed position through the instrumentality of the arm 31 and its connection with the chain 32 and the bracket 36 on the door similar to the action described in the patent to S. Elliott No. 1,324,587, dated December 9, 1919. When the switch 63 is opened, the solenoid 51 is tie-energized allowing the bolt 5d again to rest on the hanger 22 on top of the door, until it reaches the position where the recess '1! is directly under the bolt 55, whereupon the bolt 54 drops by gravity into the recess opening the circuit 54 and de-energizing the motor 41. As the door approaches closed position, the lower end of the bolt 73 is engaged by an upwardly inclined surface H541 on the guide bar 19, which causes the bolt 13 to rise up and slide along the bar until it reaches the recess 14 whereupon it drops into locked position. To insure against overtravel of the door, there is provided a door stop H2 secured in th channel it, the door stop H2 being provided with an upwardly inclined surface H l which engages the surface 5a and prevents over travel.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have devised an improved door operating and locking mechanism, particularly applicable to prison doors, which is sturdy of design, simple and economical of manufacture, and reliable in operation.

WhileI have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a combined manual and mechanically operable door operating and locking mechanism, the combination with a sliding door, of a manually operable vertically movable locking bolt mounted in the door and movable downwardly to locked position and upwardly to unlocked position, a counterbalance lever on the door connected to said bolt and biasing it to unlocked position, a second vertically movable locking bolt mounted above the door and engageable therewith to lock the door and disposed to rest on the upper end of the manually operable bolt when both boltsare in locked position and being of a weight to overcome the weight of the counterbalance and hold both bolts in locked position, and. means operablefrom a. remote point to raise the second. mentioned bolt and thereby release both bolts.

2. In a combined manual and mechanically operable door operating and locking mechanism, the combination with a sliding door, of a manually operable vertically movable locking bolt mounted in the door and movable downwardly to locked position and upwardly to unlocked position, acounterbalance lever on the door connected to said bolt and biasing it to unlocked position, a secondvertically movable locking bolt mounted above the door and disposed to rest on the upper. end of the manually operable, bolt when both boltsare in locked position and being of a .weightto overcome the weight of thecounterbalanceand hold both bolts in locked position,

7 an electric solenoid so .operatively connected to :the second bolt :that it raises said belt out of flocked :position when energized, and thereby release both bolts, and means to energize the soliBIIOld.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 together with means to open and close said door comprising an electric motor operatively connected to the door, an electric circuit for 'said motor, a switch for said circuit so operatively connected tosa-id secondloclzing'bolt that movement of said second looking bolt to said locked and unlocked positions opens and :closes the switch respec tively, there being recesses provided in the door and positioned to receive said second locking bolt both in the closed and open position of the :door, said bolt dropping into said recesses by gravity when the door is moved to open or to closed position, thereby opening the switch.

4. In a combined manual and mechanically operable sliding door operating and locking mechanism, including a door frame, a sliding door mounted to slide to and fro in front of the frame andmechanically operable means mounted on the frame over the door to open and close the same; the improvement which comprises a vertically movable locking bolt mounted in the door and engageable in a recess provided in the bottom ,of the frame, and extending upwardly to the upper end of the door, there being a recess in the upper end of the door above the bolt, a second vertically movable locking bolt mounted on the frame over the door and engageable by gravity in said recess in the door when in locked positions thereof, an electric solenoid so operatively connected to the second locking bolt that when energized it raises the said bolt and releases it from engagement with said recess in the upper end of the door, and means operable in .response to raising said second locking bolt to ac- ,tuate the mechanically operable means for open ing the door.

5. In a combined manual and mechanically operable sliding door operating and locking mechanism, including a door frame, a sliding door mounted to slide to and fro in frontof the frame and mechanically operable means mounted on the frame over the door to open and close the same; the improvement which comprises a vertically movable locking bolt mounted in the door and engageable in a recess provided in the bottom of the frame, and extending upwardly to the upper end of the door, there being a recess in the upper end of the-door above the bolt, counterbalancing lever means mounted on the door connected to said locking bolt and biasing it toward unlocked position, a second vertically movable locking bolt mounted on the frame over the door and engageable in said recess provided in the upper end of the door when the door is in closed position, said second locking bolt engaging with the upper .end of the first mentioned bolt when the door is in closed position and being of a weight to overcome the counterba-lancing lever means and hold both belts in locked position, said second locking bolt engaging in a .second recess provided in the door when the door is in open position, an electric solenoid so operatively connected to the second locking bolt that when energized it releases said second looking bolt from engagement with the door, and means operable in response to raising said second locking bolt to actuate the mechanically operable means for opening and closing the door.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the closing the doors is actuated by an electric motor operatively connected thereto, a circuit for the motor including a switch operatively connected to the second mentioned bolt to be closed upon energizing the solenoid and opened by said second mentioned bolt dropping into a recess by gravity.

'7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the mechanically operable means for opening and closing the doors is actuated by an electricmotor operatively connected thereto, a circuit for the motor including a switch operatively'connected to the second mentioned bolt to be closed upon energizing the solenoid and opened by said second mentioned bolt dropping into a recess by gravity, an emergency locking bar mounted on the frame over the door and reciprocable thereover, and cam surfaces carried by the locking bar and engageable with the second mentioned looking bolt to hold it selectively in locked and in unlocked position.

8. In door operating and locking mechanism including a sliding door, a door frame, and means to move the door to and fro to open and close it,

the improvement which comprises a vertically movable locking bolt extending the length of the door and engageable when in locked position in a recess below the base of the door, there being an opening in thedoor structure above the upper end of the bolt, counterbalancing lever means connected to the locking bolt and biasing it toward raised unlocked position, a second vertically movable locking bolt mounted on the door frame over the door and movable by gravity downwardly into the opening in the door and on top of the first mentioned bolt when the door is in closed position and being of a weight to overcome the counterbalancing means and hold the first mentioned bolt in locked position, and movable downwardly into a second opening provided in the door when the door is in open position thereby to hold the door in open position.

9. In a prison door locking mechanism, a door with a vertically extending locking bolt mounted in the door and biased upwardly toward unlocked position, a second locking bolt mounted over the door and disposed to move downwardly and engage the upper end of the first mentioned bolt when the door is closed and being of a weight to overcome the bias of the first mentioned bolt and hold the first mentioned bolt in looking position, and means operable from a position remote from the door to raise the second mentioned bolt.

10. In a prison door locking mechanism, a door, a vertically extending locking bolt mounted in the door and movable downwardly into looking position and upwardly to free the bolt, lever and counterweight means connected to the bolt and biasing it upwardly to unlocked position, a second locking bolt mounted over the door and disposed to move downwardly and engage the upper end of the first mentioned bolt when the door is closed and being of a weight to overcome the bias of the first mentioned bolt and to force the first mentioned locking bolt downwardly into locking position, and means operable from a position remote from the door to raise the second mentioned bolt.

11. In a prison door-locking mechanism, ado-or, a vertically extending locking bolt mounted in the door and movable downwardly into locking position and upwardly to free the bolt, lever and counterweight means connected to the bolt and biasing it upwardly to unlocked position, a second locking bolt mounted over the door and disposed to move downwardly and engage the upper end of the first mentioned bolt when the door is closed and being of a weight to force the first mentioned locking bolt downwardly into locking position, means operable from a position remote from the door to raise the second mentioned bolt, and other means operable responsive to raising the second mentioned bolt to open the door.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including a manually operable emergency locking bar slidably mounted over the door, a bracket on the emergency locking bar having an opening therein with cam surfaces engageable with the second 15 looking bolt to hold the second mentioned bolt selectively in raised and in lowered position.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including an electric motor for opening and closing the doors, a clutch for engaging and disengaging the motor with respect to the doors, a manually operable emergency locking bar slidably mounted over the door, a bracket on the emergency looking bar engageable with the second locking bolt to hold it selectively in raised and in lowered position, and other means on the locking bar to disengage the clutch when the second bolt is in raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 772,469 Mayer Oct. 18, 1904 964,265 Johnson July 12, 1910 1,046,608 Kosters Dec. 10, 1912 1,324,587 Elliott Dec. 9, 1919 1,563,241 Toon Nov. 24, 1925 1,811,230 Garber June 23, 1931 2,221,529 Schoenheit Nov. 12, 1940 2,262,674 Hart et a1. Nov. 11, 1941 

